Amrita Rao
Amrita Rao

“Being an actress, it’s very important for my hair and skin to be perfect and looking its best – more so during the wet and humid monsoon season,” says perky actress Amrita Rao.

While lesser mortals might think that the stars drop out of bed each morning, looking drop-dead-gorgeous, they have to put in as much effort as the next girl to look beautiful, explains Amrita.

Here, she shares some of her own skin and hair care tips exclusively with MissMalini readers. She practices each of them on a regular basis and guarantees you much better looking skin and hair if you follow these tips to the T.

Amrita Rao
Amrita Rao

monsoon skin care:

* Monsoons add to the moisture in the air and for those of you with oily skin, wash your face at least four times a day with an anti bacterial soap. Those with dry skin can wash your face when ever the skin feels greasy.

* Before applying make-up, use an oil free primer as the first layer of protection or an under-base to your make-up foundation.

* Dab some good quality loose powder on your face, either over the make-up foundation or if you are not wearing make-up, then over the primer.

* Carry oil blotting paper sheets handy in your bag to blot the excess oil that surfaces on your skin in a coupe of hours. Follow it up by dabbing your skin with a powder puff to matte the face and regain the fresh look.

* I advise carrying loose powder and a powder puff instead of the regulation powder compact. The compacts can have chemicals and ingredients like silica, that may not agree with your skin type and end up blocking your pores. This, in turn causes blackheads and many other skin problems.

* Even for those with dry skin, make sure you use make up that says ”oil free” especially during the summers and monsoons because there is enough moisture in the air!

Amrita Rao
Amrita Rao

Monsoon hair care:

* Go get a monsoon hair trim. We wash our hair more often during the monsoons as they get limp more often. Hence, having shorter hair helps you maintain your hair easily during the monsoons.

* Your hair is the crown of your beauty and hence, you should not hesitate to invest in a good quality shampoo and conditioner that suits your hair and gives it the required bounce.

* The moisture in the air tends to make the hair more unruly and knotty. Using a leave-on serum during monsoons protects your hair fall. A leave-on serum can help hair texture to be more softer and fall in control.

* Use simple hair accessories and traditional styling, like a pony tail or a braid to safe guard an important look for a meeting or a party.

* Go curly, wavy, spiral or even grunge during the monsoons. You don’t want all that blow drying and straightening to go for a toss due to a sudden rain intervention.